constitutional reform

The Electoral Reform Society have calculated that plans to ‘stuff’ the House of Lords with 100 extra Conservative Peers in the aftermath of the Lords rejection of cuts to tax credits would cost at least £2.6m per year.

There can be no one who voted or campaigned for the Alternative Vote who believed it to be anything other than a first step towards full reform of the electoral system. Initially, Nick Clegg's petulant description of it as a “miserable little compromise” seemed an example of the perfect being permitted to become the enemy of the possible. However, it now seems that the pursuit of incremental change may have turned out to be a mistake.

Once in a while, the Church gets a chance to atone for its sins. The referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) for Westminster elections is a golden opportunity to demonstrate that, unlike the Church of 100 years ago, which op¬posed the suffragettes, it will back the campaign for a fairer electoral system.

The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) have produced a fantastic tool which will highlight how the big party leaders will be spending their time this election - targeting a very small number of marginal seats. It will be very revealing about where their values lie.